The Primacy of Christ

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
- 1 Cor. 2:1-2

“The church in America will have to learn what it means to mourn before it can dance. Sticking to the story, fixing our eyes on Christ – even if it means distracting us from what we have diagnosed as our real issues – is the kindest thing a pastor can do for a congregation, the most precious gift we can receive and pass on to our neighbors, and the most relevant mission on earth.”
- Michael Horton, Christless Christianity, p. 259

“We have a God who is capable of self-sacrifice for us. It was although he was in the form of God, that Jesus Christ did not consider his being on an equality with God so precious a possession that he could not lay it aside, but rather made no account of himself. It was our God who so loved us that he gave himself for us. Now, herein is a wonderful thing.
- B.B. Warfield, quoted by Carl Trueman in The Wages of Spin, p. 127

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

Whatever is said of us may it never be said that we were deficient in being Christ-centered. Of anyone, we have the most incredible story to tell. I fear, though, at times we live as if the good news found in Christ is a modest proposal, rather than the singular grand message in all of creation. Reconciliation to God through the person of Christ makes all other news anemic, but I’m afraid much of the time we treat it as yesterday’s headlines. This news alone has the power to save. This person alone has the prerogative and authority to forgive. Our many transgressions are against Him and it is He alone that brings forgiveness at great cost to Himself. In Warfield’s words, ‘It was our God who so loved us that he gave himself for us. Now, herein is a wonderful thing.’ Our priority and primacy is Christ. We must keep our eyes fixed upon Him. He must capture our gaze. It is this beatific vision that will change us and in turn provide impetus for sharing that same gospel that will change our family, neighbors, and friends. May we resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Desiring the primacy of Christ with you,

Pastor Dan

Union with Christ

‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.’
- Ephesians 2:4-7

‘What is that union which the elect have with Christ? A. The union which the elect have with Christ is the work of God's grace, whereby they are spiritually and mystically, yet really and inseparably, joined to Christ as their head and husband; which is done in their effectual calling.’
– The Westminster Larger Catechism Q&A 66

‘Union with Christ is, in fact, the foundation of all the blessings of salvation. Justification, sanctification, adoption, and glorification are all received through our being united with Christ.’
- Robert Letham, quoted in, He Who Gives Life, p. 217

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

If you are a Christian you have been ‘spiritually and mystically, yet really and inseparably’ joined to Christ. Christ’s life has become your life, Christ’s death has become your death, and Christ’s resurrection has become your resurrection. Because they are His they become yours. He freely and graciously gives them to you and they cannot be taken away. Think of this…every spiritual blessing imaginable has become yours and they cannot be removed. Because He has been raised He has raised us. This is His work of grace in you and for you, and if you are a Christian this can never be removed. There is no danger of Christ changing His mind. There are no worries about God rescinding His adoption of us at a future date. The security and bond with which He holds believers secure is the placement of Christians in inseparable union with Him. In our frequent sin and vacillation we need an unchanging Savior that holds us secure. We need a Savior whose Cross was sufficient for all of our sin and a Redeemer whose Resurrection was full of power to save. In Christ we have found both and He has made us glad and thankful participants in His life by joining us to Him. He has loved us and demonstrated that love to us by an unbreakable bond which He has secured for us forever. Amazingly, we are really and inseparably united to Him.

Stunned by the immeasurable ramifications of our union with Christ,

Pastor Dan

The Post-Resurrection Great Commission

“And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
- Matthew 28:18-20

“Christ’s triumph, then, will be the triumph of evangelism.”
- R.B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism, p. 241

“Jesus Christ is the ‘missionary’ par excellence: the basic and foundational mission is his. He has been sent by the Father to effect forgiveness and salvation, especially through his death and resurrection, and then to announce it to Jews and Gentiles alike. In fulfillment of the Servant’s role his task is to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.”
- Kostenberger and O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth, p. 269

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

Last week we celebrated Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. In these two events lies the good news of the gospel. Christ has ransomed sinners for Himself through His own blood on the Cross and He was raised for the sinner’s justification in God bringing Him back to life. At the Resurrection all authority was granted to the risen and ascended Lord and it’s in this authority that mission can move forward. We have no other authority by which we can evangelize or advance the gospel forward than that which has been given by the resurrected and ascended Christ. Everything the church does is to be grounded in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, because it is here where authority has been given and here that authority is derived. This gives us hope in evangelistic advance, such as the making of disciples, in teaching, and in baptizing, therefore, we have hope that our efforts will not be in vain. The resurrected and ascended Lord is our source and power. We mustn’t preach the gospel without the power of the resurrection. We cannot have the one without the other. The Cross alone is forgiveness without effectual power and the Resurrection alone is power without forgiveness for sins. In our mind they must be inseparable as we carry on our evangelistic efforts. Christ’s triumph is the triumph of evangelism.

I’m grateful for the Great Commission that is grounded in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ,

Pastor Dan

Cross Centered v. Gospel Centered

"Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
- Acts 2:29-32

‘For seeing that in the cross, death and burial of Christ, nothing but weakness appears, faith must go beyond all these…because, as he, by rising again, became victorious over death, so the victory of our faith consists only in his resurrection.’
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II:16

‘Even today a dead Christ is easier to come to terms with than a living Lord.’
-Paul Beasley-Murray, The Message of the Resurrection, p. 26

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

It may be theological shorthand but it’s a subtle and important difference. To be cross-centered alone is to miss something very important. To be gospel-centered is to be all-inclusive. When Paul talks about the gospel having ‘first importance’ in 1 Cor. 15 both the death of Christ and His resurrection are included. Understand this - a crucified Savior alone cannot save us. However, a crucified Savior raised again by God for our justification can and does save us. These are very important distinctions because the Resurrection sets the trajectory for everything that follows the Crucifixion. The second Adam has come and the new creation has begun, but only because the God-man has died in the sinner’s stead and has risen again. He has done what no ordinary man could do. His victory over sin and His future reign has begun now because He has risen. We have our sins atoned for in the Cross, but we have the completion of our salvation in justification, hope, power, and new and eternal life because of the Resurrection. Because of the Resurrection every enemy has been defeated, and not just my sin, but everything and everyone that raises opposition to God. Rejoicing in a crucified Savior is misinformed worship, but rejoicing in a crucified and risen Savior is to celebrate the superlative glory of the gospel. Rejoicing in the Resurrected Savior is to rejoice in the ascended and reigning King. Revelation 5 pictures the saints forever worshiping the Lamb who was slain, but who now lives forevermore. The Lamb was slain for us, but God raised Him up for our salvation. The risen Lamb will be the object of our worship forever. He has risen. He has risen indeed.

Thanking God for the power and glory of the resurrection.

Pastor Dan

The Pastor as Theologian

(Jesus asked Peter), "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
- John 21:17

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
- Acts 20:28-30

“Every pastor is called to be a theologian. This may come as a surprise to those pastors who see theology as an academic discipline taken during seminary rather than as an ongoing and central part of the pastoral calling. Nevertheless, the health of the church depends upon its pastors functioning as faithful theologians – teaching, preaching, defending, and applying the great doctrines of the faith.”
- Al Mohler, He is Not Silent, p. 105

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

Last night I made the mistake of lingering on cable religious programming, and this more out of curiosity than anything. It wasn't pretty. One program seemed to be all sunshine and butterfies with its ‘pastor’ preaching a prosperity message, and the other was a long and impassioned appeal for money by an evangelist, suggesting that there was a blessing in the making if you’d only send him money. One only has to make a cursory view of both the Old and New Testaments to see the low regard God holds for religious leaders that take their role lightly and lead His people astray. Truth be known…it’s a frightening prospect and one that causes me to tremble. The pastor is called to faithful shepherding, which means he must understand the Scriptures and care for the flock in a manner that reflects the care and love of Christ. The pastor must guard, protect, lead, instruct and defend the flock, essentially in his tasks emulating the Great Shepherd, because the day will come when the pastor’s faithful shepherding and his adherence and faithfulness to proclaim the gospel message will be judged. The pastor must know what God’s word teaches and he must instruct faithfully. He must be a theologian. Really, all pastors are theologians. It’s just that there are good ones and there are bad ones. It’s a frightening prospect, but the health of Christ Our Redeemer depends upon my faithfulness as a theologian. May God give much needed grace.

Trembling in the pastoral task,

Pastor Dan

The Great Equalizer

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell, Animal Farm

"To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:"
-2 Peter 1:1

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
-Romans 3:21-23

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."
- Galatians 3:28-29

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
At the end of the day you and I are no different from one another. In the Christian faith there are no Christians more equal than others. The gospel speaks to us as the great equalizer. On the one hand it shows us all our desperate need of the gospel as a result of our own incited rebellion against God and in our federal representation in Adam, and on the other hand the gospel calls attention to the all-encompassing sufficiency of Christ's substitutionary death for every sinner. The problem is the same and the remedy is the same. We all have sinned, we have all fallen woefully short. There is no room for arrogance or boasting amongst us. There is no room for looking down our noses on our brothers and sisters. There is no room for condescension. There is much room for humility and preference for one another. We're all in the same predicament and understanding our own great need of Christ and His gracious provision for us will go a long way in how we treat one another and prefer one another. The temptation is to draw lines, make comparisons, point out deficiencies, and excuse our own shortcomings. The gospel speaks to our need and to Christ's satisfaction. What initially appears to be differences in race, gender, social standing, et al, are really unimportant. In our greatest need we are truly no different from one another. Seeing this and believing it will change us. We are no different from one another; we are heirs together of the same promise.

Equally in need and equally justified with you,

Pastor Dan

Art Azurdia on Worship and John Piper on Gospel Expansion in Our Families

Dear COR Family and Friends,

Today at The Spurgeon Fellowship at Western Seminary our friend Art Azurdia gave a two-part message on worship from Revelation 4 and 5. I want to commend these great messages to you. They can be heard here http://www.thespurgeonfellowship.org/meetings/media.htm . These will change your perspective on worship.

Also, on today's Desiring God blog John Piper gives wisdom for families....

Never Let the Gospel Get Smaller
Posted: 16 Mar 2009 11:42 PM PDT
(Author: John Piper)

Here is a simple exhortation that I have been trying to implement in our family:
Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller.

Our temptation is to think that the gospel is for beginners and then we go on to greater things. But the real challenge is to see the gospel as the greatest thing—and getting greater all the time.

The Gospel gets bigger when, in your heart,
grace gets bigger;
Christ gets greater;
his death gets more wonderful;
his resurrection gets more astonishing;
the work of the Spirit gets mightier;
the power of the gospel gets more pervasive;
its global extent gets wider;
your own sin gets uglier;
the devil gets more evil;
the gospel's roots in eternity go deeper;
its connections with everything in the Bible and in the world get stronger;
and the magnitude of its celebration in eternity gets louder.
So keep this in mind: Never let the gospel get smaller in your heart.

Pray that it won't. Read solid books on it. Sing about it. Tell someone about it who is ignorant or unsure about it.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Copyright 2009 Desiring God,

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1687_Never_Let_the_Gospel_Get_Smaller/


Desiring to make the gospel larger in our families,


Pastor Dan